/ deɪ; NAmE / noun
1.
[ C ] a period of 24 hours :
I saw Tom three days ago.
'What day is it today?' 'Monday.'
We're going away in a few days / in a few days' time .
They left the day before yesterday (= two days ago) .
We're meeting the day after tomorrow (= in two days) .
New Year's Day
Take the medicine three times a day .
We can't go there today. You can go another day .
—see also field day , off day , red-letter day , sports day
2.
[ U ] the time between when it becomes light in the morning and when it becomes dark in the evening :
The sun was shining all day .
I could sit and watch the river all day long .
He works at night and sleeps during the day .
Nocturnal animals sleep by day and hunt by night.
3.
[ C , usually sing. ] the hours of the day when you are awake, working, etc. :
a seven-hour working day
It's been a long day (= I've been very busy) .
Did you have a good day?
She didn't do a full day's work .
I took a half day off yesterday.
( NAmE )
Have a nice day!
—see also workday
4.
[ C , usually pl. ] a particular period of time or history :
in Queen Victoria's day
the early days of computers
Most women stayed at home in those days .
( informal )
in the old days (= in the past)
—see also glory days , heyday , nowadays , the present day
HELP NOTE : There are many other compounds ending in day . You will find them at their place in the alphabet.
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IDIOMS
- all in a day's work
- any day (now)
- carry / win the day
- day after day
- day by day
- day in, day out
- a day of reckoning
- sb's / sth's days are numbered
- from day one
- from day to day
- from one day to the next
- have had your day
- have seen / known better days
- if he's, she's, etc. a day
- in sb's day
- in this day and age
- it's not sb's day
- make sb's day
- make a day of it
- not have all day
- of sb's day
- of the day
- one day
- one of these days
- one of those days
- some day
- take it / things one day at a time
- that'll be the day
- these days
- those were the days
- to the day
- to this day
—more at back adverb , back adverb , born , break noun , call verb , clear adjective , cold adjective , deed , dog noun , early adjective , end noun , end verb , forth , give verb , late adverb , live (I), livelong , nice , night , old , order noun , other adjective , pass verb , plain adjective , rainy , Rome , salad , save verb , time noun
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English dæg , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dag and German Tag .